The legend of “Beowulf” has already inspired cinema, whether in epic, realistic, futuristic or animated versions. A new proposal will highlight the monster Grendel, helped by the geniuses of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
Grendel, the legendary monster at the heart of the epic poem Beowulf by John Gardner, will be entitled to his own live action film: this new version will tell the story of the classic but this time from the monster’s point of view. Jeff Bridges, Dave Bautista and Bryan Cranston join the cast of the film, simply named Grendel.
Jeff Bridges will lend his voice to the titular monster, while Dave Bautista will play Beowulf himself. Brian Cranston will play the role of King Hrothgar. Facing them, Sam Elliott will lend his voice to the Dragon, Beowulf’s third and final adversary. Thomasin McKenzie will be Queen Wealhtheow and Aidan Turner will play Unferth. T Bone Burnett will also be there in the role of the Shaper and will also write some original songs for the film.
At the helm of the project, we will find Robert D. Krzykowski (The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot) who will direct the film from the screenplay he adapted from the eponymous poem. Production on the feature film is expected to begin later this year in Europe. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the company founded by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppet Show, will design the creatures.
“Grendel represents everything I love about cinema. John Gardner’s madcap masterpiece cleverly addresses what it means to be human through the crazy-eyed lens of a monster”, said the director in a press release. “It’s an honor to work with such a remarkable group of storytellers, all seeking to bring something wonderful and unexpected to audiences today.”
“We are excited to bring this high-profile story to our distributors around the world”, added Tamara Birkemoe, CEO of Palisades Park Pictures which is producing the feature film. “With this brilliant cast, Bob’s vivid vision, and the extraordinary creative journey of our friends at The Jim Henson Company, we can’t wait to see Grendel come to life.”
Warner Bros. Pictures Grendel (Crispin Glover) in “The Legend of Beowulf” (2007)
Brian Henson, producer and chairman of the board of directors of The Jim Henson Company, said: “The Jim Henson Company is known internationally for its character creation. And we are most inspired when a character has a richly authentic personality and can be sophisticated, thought-provoking and believable. Grendel is the ultimate character and will be brought to life using the cutting-edge practical techniques of our Creature Shop in combination with the incredible digital effects of Dennis Berardi.”
Adapted no less than 7 times
The legendary poem of John Gardner has already inspired no less than six films: among the best known, we find The Legend of Beowulf (2007) by Robert Zemeckis with Ray Winstone, Crispin Glover (Grendel) and Angelina Jolie, Beowulf (1999) by Graham Baker with Christopher Lambert, The 13th Warrior (1999) by John McTiernan and Michael Crichton with Antonio Banderas. There is also Beowulf, the Viking Legend (2005) with Hringur Ingvarsson, Spencer Wilding and Stellan Skarsgård or Outlander, the Last Viking (2008) by Howard McCain with Jim Caviezel, Sophia Myles, Jack Huston, John Hurt and Ron Perlman .
Adaptations also include the television film Beowulf and the Wrath of the Gods (2007) by Nick Lyon and the British series Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands born in 2016 for ITV which only lasted one season.
While waiting to discover this new version, The 13th Warrior, which is the best adaptation of the legend according to AlloCiné spectators who rated it 3.1 out of 5, can be seen again in streaming on Disney+.
